Object of Play

Object of Play is a prototype for the first girl’s soccer pitch in South Africa. A design initiative led by Architecture for Humanity and sponsored by Nike and Woolworth’s, sought to build the Siyathemba Youth Sports Facility and HIV/AIDS Outreach Center on a modest budget out of local materials and with the direct involvement of community members. Strawn.Sierralta developed a modular concrete panel, which utilized a specialized concrete formwork system that incorporated the void of footballs into the thermal mass of the construction, while maintaining structural strength and utilizing less material. Object of Play is part of Strawn.Sierralta's commitment to work on pro bono projects that can affect change in Developing Communities worldwide.

Concept Statement:

 

"An object of play, made familiar by repeated touch, is multiplied in image. This small structure serves as a community center, clubhouse, and an information center for the prevention and treatment of AIDS/HIV. It sits next to the first girl’s soccer pitch in South Africa. The pattern of the footballs forms a shelter as an icon of teamwork. The visual rhythm becomes a backdrop for learning."

Project Data

The Big Issue: 

According to the World Health Organization, two-thirds of the world’s 33 million HIV-infected people are in Africa, and globally the condition killed 2 million people in 2007. Of those, about 270,000 were children. HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death in South Africa according to studies released by the South African Medical Research Council. In Kwa-Zulu Natal, the hardest hit province according to the report, studies show that the pandemic accounts for 42 percent of all deaths. At the center of this crisis are the region’s youth, and in particular, its future mothers - girls ages 9-14.

Project Description: 

A football clubhouse that will double as a space that the area’s health care professionals can use to disseminate information about HIV/AIDS. Siyathemba offers a unique opportunity to bring together the positive aspects of sports with an innovative health outreach program in a setting designed with and for the youth of Somkhele. Football, already the nation’s most popular sport, will only gain in popularity and interest when the World Cup comes to South Africa in 2010. By emphasizing a team approach, it is hoped that Siyathemba will be a field of hope, a place where the area’s health care professionals and its future leaders can come together.

Concept:  

To make a game out of the construction process by utilizing the football as part of the concrete formwork.

Year:  

2004

Location: 

Somkhele, South Africa

Client/Sponsor: 

Architecture for Humanity, Nike, Woolworth’s

Site:  

An open field central to the community

Environmental Strategies:  

Rainwater collection, maximizing natural ventilation and protection from the sun.

Program:  

A small soccer pitch with a clubhouse that provides a shaded community gathering space, education space, storage space and a changing room.

Scale:  

750 sq/ft

Budget:  

$5,000

Team:  

Architecture: Karla Sierralta, Brian Strawn / 3D Visualization: Diego Sierralta